2021 Volkswagen Tiguan beats rising COE premiums

Singapore

THE redesigned version of Volkswagen's half-cat, half-lizard now has 190 horses. The VW Tiguan (the name is a portmanteau of the German words for "tiger" and "iguana") goes on sale in Singapore today, with a facelift bringing new looks, a different engine and an emphasis on connectivity to the car.

Volkswagen Group Singapore is putting two variants on the market, with a more basic Elegance version priced at S$179,900 and the sporty, upmarket Tiguan R-Line going for S$193,900. Both prices include Certificate Of Entitlement (COE).

Mid-life facelifts for cars can be minor, and with the Tiguan habitually topping Europe's sport utility vehicle (SUV) sales charts (and becoming VW's best selling SUV model in the process), you could forgive Volkswagen for playing it safe with the styling.

Yet, the Tiguan gets a noticeably new front end that borrows from the imposing look of the Touareg, the large sport utility vehicle (SUV) that is something of a flagship car for VW.

The R-Line version gets sporty styling features and adaptive suspension dampers, along with extra equipment inside, such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel and a head up display for the driver.

In either trim, the Tiguan retains its family-oriented approach to motoring. It has an expansive boot, adjustable rear seats, a panoramic glass roof and six airbags. The air-con system has three separate zones and an allergen filter for the cabin.

Digitalisation is a major theme of the car's revamp, with a touch-sensitive panel replacing physical switches for the climate control system, and voice control giving hands-free access to more infotainment functions than before.

Only one engine is available in Singapore now, and it's a 2.0-litre turbo that drives all four wheels through Volkswagen's 4Motion system. The engine is 30hp down on the previous car's which means the Tiguan takes longer to reach the benchmark 100km/h from standstill: 8.4 seconds instead of 6.5.

But the payoff is a car that is no longer liable for pollution taxes. With the previous engine the Tiguan would have attracted a S$15,000 penalty under the Vehicular Emissions Scheme.

The savings will help to offset rising COE premiums. The Cat B certificate relevant to the Tiguan went for as little as S$45,001 in March, but reached a six-year high of S$70,200 this week.

The Tiguan's name may be partly derived from a jungle cat, but in the Singapore market the COE cat matters more.